Through Emerald Eyes
by R Omega
Summary: In ages past the land of Hoenn was rocked by a clash of titans. Now, millennia later two misguided organizations seek to revive these creatures. One young girl must rise up to stop them before the world is destroyed, but can she face her own inner demons?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer- **I do not own Pokemon. At all. I kinda wish I did, but I don't. So please don't sue me

_Long, long ago before the ancestors of humans had even thought to descend from the trees, there waged a horrible war. It was a war of dominance between the earth and sea. The earth split wide open and fire rained from the skies. Magma rushed from the core of the world to create vast landmasses in the sea. The sea itself fought back, waves rose taller than the tallest mountains to flood the newborn islands. _

_At the very center of this mighty conflict were two creatures so ancient it is unknown whether they were created after the planet of if they had lived as long as the planet itself. The Lord of the Land fought non-stop against the Lord of the Sea. Their conflict lasted centuries and slowly the Land began to win. Continents were formed and shaped. The Sea Lord realized this and used all its power to summon a mighty rainstorm to encompass the entire planet. Thunder roared and lightning arced across the skies and the rain came. It rained for so long that the planet forgot what the sun had looked like but the Sea Lord was unable to control the storm and fight the Land Lord at the same time. It lost control of the mighty storm._

_The rainstorm grew far too powerful for either creature to control. The world itself was in danger and it looked like nothing could save it. But then the Lord of the Skies, who had refused to participate in the struggle between the land and the sea, awoke. Seeing the peril that its world faced the Sky Lord confronted the two warring ancients. In the presence of the Sky Lord the Lords of the Land and Sea cowered and halted their fighting. The Sky Lord then put them to sleep deep within the planet and sealed their power away in two orbs. These two orbs the Sky Lord placed in the care of the servants of the Lords. The orb of the Earth was given to those who fought for the Lord of the land and likewise the orb of the Sea was given to the creatures that fought alongside the Lord of the Sea. That done the mighty Sky Lord returned to its palace in the skies and resumed its endless slumber._

_In the wake of the Sky Lord the storm dispersed and sun streamed down on the world. The seas calmed and receded, the land rose and began to team with life. Millennia passed. When humans began to emerge they were greeted by the descendents of the servants of the mighty Lords. These diverse and fascinating creatures came to be called Pokemon._

_These creatures where here before us, and chances are they will be here long after us. It is important to remember to that they are the original inhabitants of this world and it was for them that the planet was formed. All those that take up the mantle of Pokemon trainer should keep this in mind and always treat their partners with the utmost of respect._


	2. A bitter Begining

**Disclaimer-** I do not own Pokemon, May, Brendan, or anything else in this story.

Chapter 1-A Bitter Begining

The moving truck bounced as it drove down the bumpy roads of the Hoenn region. An island continent rich with flora and fauna, its residents saw Hoenn as the birthplace of life, and truth scientists had uncovered evidence to support those claims. Ruins of ancient civilizations dating back millennia were located just offshore under the sea and fossilized Pokemon shells had been found that were even older. The Hoenn Government tried to maintain a connection with this nature and as a result had opted not to pave roads across the continent. The only exceptions were large residential areas and key trade routs used to disperse goods that were coming from other regions, like Johto to the Northeast or Kanto to the far East.

To the sole occupant of the moving trailer, the lack of properly paved roads was a source of great distress. _'Stupid backwater region' _thought May Green to herself for the billionth time. Picking herself up off the floor and unconsciously straitening her long chestnut brown hair, May picked her magazine up off the floor and sat back down in the lazy boy chair she had just been tossed out of. Instead of going ahead with her mother May had chosen to spend one last night in Johto with her friends and go with the moving truck the next day. What she hadn't expected was that there was no extra room in the cab. As such she was forced to spend the six-hour drive from the port in Hoenn to her new house in the trailer of the moving truck being thrown around by every little bump.

To May the discomfort of the ride was testimony to the fact that she hated this stupid region. She had been forced to leave the only home she had ever know to move to some backwater town in the poorest region on this half of the planet. And why? Pokemon. God she hated them.

Unlike most people, who loved and admired the strange creatures that shared the world, May did not. It was because of Pokemon that her father had been absent for most of her childhood, and it was because of them that when May had twelve her father suddenly left one morning, leaving May and her mother all alone. And it was their fault now, almost five years later that she was stuck in this stupid truck far away from everything she knew.

May thought of how excited her mother had been when her asshole father had sent them a letter, the first in all five years, telling them that he had been made a Gym Leader in the Hoenn region and that he wanted them to come and live down there.

'_Yeah, like I was supposed to be proud or something.'_ May thought with a sneer. "Oh yay! My jackass father has returned and says he's finally succeeded in doing the very thing he abandoned me for. I am ever so glad." May sang out to no one in a sarcastic singsong voice.

"Great May. You're talking to yourself again." The girl sighed sadly.

Suddenly the truck jerked to a stop sending several boxes labeled 'cookware' falling onto the girl.

To the large Machoke who opened the trailer door it must have been funny to see the small human girl cussing and kicking boxes out of the way because it started to laugh. Unfortunately this didn't go over well with May.

"Shut up!" the girl yelled at the large gray Pokemon. She picked up the nearest box she could find and threw it at the laughing creature, who caught it with ease. Kicking a few more boxes out of the way May stomped to the open door of the truck. "Move!" she commanded to the Machoke who was now in the process of unloading a large bookshelf. The gray Pokemon sighed and moved to allow the girl to pass.

'_I hope she gets crushed by a fridge.' _Thought the superpower Pokemon but he was smart enough to keep to himself as he lifted the heavy object.

* * *

A gust of warm late summer air and a brightly shining sun greeted May. Shielding her emerald green eyes from the sun May looked around the small town. 

'_Quite the tiny little hell hole,_' the girl thought to herself as she scanned the town. There were only a handful of houses and one large building across from her. May estimated that no more than 50 people could be living in the town. '_Great. I go from the bustling metropolis of Goldenrod to some desolate little farm town. As soon as I'm legal I'm going back to Johto.'_

May's silent rant was cut off by the shouts coming from the closest house. Apparently one of the movers' Machoke had dropped and broken what it had been carrying and was being chewed out by its owner for it. May smirked at the dismay on the Pokemon's face, however the smile faded when she saw a woman approach the man.

The woman was May's mother. The woman always had a warm smile on her face that could calm anyone. As a child May had always marveled at how pretty her mother was, the girl had wished to grow up to look like her, with soft brown curls, delicate features and the heartwarming smile. And now Mays mother had that very smile on her face as she talked to the mover, no doubt assuring him that it was no problem and, May thought with disdain, 'P_robably slipping in some of that be nice to Pokemon crap that_ _she so often spewed_.'

Unlike her daughter, Mrs. Green did not loath Pokemon; and being a former Pokemon nurse she was a firm believer that Pokemon should be treated with kindness and warmth. Ironically her own Pokemon received neither from her own daughter. The creatures knew well enough to stay out of the angry girls way. Her daughter's cold treatment of Pokemon was exasperating for Mrs. Green and was a constant argument between the two, but despite that the women were the only one the other had and May did love her mother very much.

Still May couldn't understand why her mother loved Pokemon so much when they were the reason her father had left. Whenever May said so her mother became very sad and distant. Her eyes would fill with tears and she'd mumble something like "it's not because of them." Her mother would never elaborate and May couldn't help but feel that her mother was hiding something.

After resolving the problem with the movers May's mother spotted her standing by the truck and ran over to hug her daughter. "Oh Sweetie! I'm so glad you made it! You're going to love it here!" The older woman chimed happily. May couldn't help but feel slight agitated by her mother's giddiness.

"Somehow I doubt that," she muttered, but her mother either didn't hear her or chose to ignore the comment.

"The environment is beautiful! And smell that fresh country air!" Mrs. Green inhaled deeply as if to prove her point.

"The air was fine in Goldenrod. And at least there I'd die of lung cancer with my friends."

May's mother gave a slightly annoyed expression but brushed it aside. "Oh don't worry May, you'll make lots of friends. You where so popular back in Johto! Come on inside the house, it's lovely. You even get your own room!" she added cheerfully, as if that would brighten May's mood.

'_I'm an only child. I always had my own room' _thought the girl but she followed her mother inside anyways.

Inside the house the Machoke were in the process of setting up the living room furniture. Her mother turned to May, "See May. The movers Pokemon do the job in less then half the time of normal, aren't Pokemon useful?"

"Sure. If you don't mind pea-brained slave labor."

Mrs. Green sighed, "Alright. Alright. Why don't you go upstairs and check out your new room. The movers' Machoke have already set up your room."

"Good for them," muttered the girl.

"May…." Her mother was still smiling but May could tell from her tone that it would not be a good idea to continue harassing the Pokemon.

"Fine. I'm going." May marched up the stairs and proceeded down the hall to the room that her stuff had been set up into. She hated to admit it but the Pokemon had been quick getting the job done, her room was already set up except for some boxes in the corner. May started to unpack all of her clothes and junk. Unpacking everything took only a few hours and after setting up her computer May found herself staring out the window. She saw the townsfolk going about their business and children played in the grass. May figured the average age of the residents must've been in the twenties, she had yet to see a single person her age. Sighing to herself she admitted that it probably wouldn't have made a difference anyways. Her mother was wrong, May had never been popular back in Johto; her unique views on Pokemon alienated her from most of the other children at school. The only people who ever talked to her where either outcasts like herself or guys trying to get into her pants. She had only had one real friend and now she was far away.

May turned away from the window and lied down on her bed. "Why did we have to move here?" she asked to no one. "I was finally getting over it. I was finally pulling my life together. Then he comes back and expects it to be 'forgive and forget'. And mom drops everything to run to his beck and call." May rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling.

'_What's Mom thinking? It's not like he ever acted like a good husband anyways. Sent one letter in five years and that's to tell us to move to the middle of nowhere. I didn't even get to read the damn letter. Mom was almost desperate to get here. He probably thinks we'll welcome with open arms like some returning prince." _May snorted bitterly.

"Sweetie? Are you alright?"

May had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed her mother come into the room.

"What? Oh…. Yeah. Yeah, I'm great," May laughed humorlessly at the last statement.

"Sweetie," Mrs. Green's voice filled with worry, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Why would you ask that?" May turned to face the wall, her back to her mother at the door.

May's mother came over to sit down on the bed beside her daughter. "It's about your father isn't it?" Mrs. Green heard her daughter sniff her nose and knew that the girl was crying. Stroking her daughter's hair the woman stayed silent.

"Stop it." The girl choked out, but she did nothing to back it up and her mother continued. "I hate him," she said finally.

"You don't mean that," replied her mother sadly.

"I hate him so much." May cried through the tears.

"He's not as bad as you think…."

"Go away. I don't want to here it"

"May…."

"I said Go Away!" the girl shrieked.

May heard her mother sigh sadly, then get up and leave the room slowly. May knew that she had made her mother cry, but she didn't care. It was her fault for dragging May out here.

What May didn't notice was that her mother had placed a small brown package on her dresser. She also didn't notice that when her mother had left she had pocketed the small note that had been attached to that package.

* * *

It was late when May woke up. 

'_I must have cried myself to sleep' _the teenager thought to herself. Looking at her watch she saw that it was after midnight. Feeling restless May rejected thoughts of returning to bed and got up. She was about to leave her room when she noticed a small brown package on her dresser. She didn't recognize it from earlier so she figured that her mother must have put it there.

Curiosity getting the better of her May picked up the package and checked it over for any indication of where it came from. Not finding any she tore the wrapping off. Inside was a small alarm clock. '_Weird'_ she thought as she set the alarm clock down.

Leaving her room May found the hall dark. '_Mom must be asleep._' May felt a pang of guilt as she thought of her mother. She knew that she shouldn't have yelled at the woman, but a dark voice in May's head told her that it served her mother right for dragging May out here. Shaking that dark feeling away May resolved to apologize to her mother in the morning.

Heading downstairs May found herself in the living room. The moonlight shone so brightly through the large window that May did not need to turn on a light. Looking around the living room she could see that the movers had indeed done a good job, the house was already set up.

'_I could use some air_' thought May. The teenager moved past the large couch and opened the front door.

A warm summer night awaited her outside. As she stepped outside May gasped in spite of herself, _'There were never that many stars in Goldenrod.' _Closing the door behind her May began to walk around the small town.

Eventually May found herself at a path leading into a sparse woods. Shrugging to herself May followed the path until it came out onto a small beach located next to a lake. Sitting down on the beach May stared out over the water at the full moon's reflection. Even May, city slicker that she was had too admit that the view was beautiful. And somewhere deep inside herself May felt the strangest feeling of familiarity, as if she had been here before.

May's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of footsteps. May looked behind her to see someone emerge from the path she had followed.

It was a boy, about the same age as she was though he was significantly taller and well built. He had hair so blond it almost seemed white, although she thought that might be a trick of the light. He was standing in the shadows so May could not see much of his face, although from his body language, and the bottle he carried, she guessed that he had not expected to find anybody on the beach.

"Who are you?" asked May, breaking the silence.

"That depends," the boy replied, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on whether or not you're single." The boy flashed what was no doubt meant to be a million dollar smile; the moonlight even glinted off his teeth. May just stared at him for a few seconds then snorted and turned back around.

"That has to be the stupidest line I've ever heard."

"After a few moments of silence, May heard the boy approach her, "Mind if I sit here?" he asked as he came up beside her.

May didn't even look up, "It's a free world. Do whatever you want." The boy did just that, plopping himself down beside her and popping the cork out of his bottle. A few minutes of silence passed by, during which the boy took a few drinks of his bottle. Finally the boy broke the silence.

"So you going to tell me your name?"

"You never told me yours."

The boy chuckled. "Fair enough." A few more minutes passed before he spoke again, "Not from around here I take it?"

May rolled her eyes, "What gave it away."

"Three things really." The boy raised a finger, "First the Johto accent. Second," he raised another finger, "Second the Johto fashion sense, and third," He raised a final finger, "I've never seen you before."

"And just because you've never seen me I'm new here?"

"When you live in a town as small as Littleroot it does." He took another swig of his bottle. "I'll assume you're the new neighbor who moved in next door to my house."

"Unless there's another family moving in to this town then I'm going to have to say you assume correctly." May replied. A few more minutes of silence past when a sudden breeze caused May to shiver and pull her knees up to her chin.

The boy must have noticed this. "Want a drink? It'll warm you up." May looked away from the lake to see the boy holding out the bottle to her. She could see that it was about half full of a dark liquid.

"What is it?" May asked eyeing the bottle.

"Charizard fire whisky. Strong and it burns the hell out of your throat on the way down but it's good stuff."

"No thanks. I'm underage." May replied. That wasn't the real reason, May was a teenager and like most teenagers she wasn't a stranger to alcohol, but she didn't like the idea of getting drunk near a strange male alone on a beach. The boy was right Charizard fire whisky was notoriously strong.

"Doesn't stop me any," the boy said with a grin as he took another large swig of the bottle. May finally looked at the boys face. He was relatively handsome she supposed, but his eyes were the most noticeable thing about him. They were the neatest color of amber she had ever seen. Nowhere in Johto would you find eyes like that.

The boy noticed her staring at him and he gave her a cocky grin, "Hey, I know I'm gorgeous but it's rude to stare."

That brought May back to reality and for the tiniest second her cheeks flushed pink but then she snorted and looked away muttering something about cocky pretty boys. The boy just grinned and looked out over the lake.

"So you gonna give me a name or do I have to make one up for you?" the boy glanced at May and when she didn't respond he continue, "All right then. From this day forward you shall be known as Bob."

May almost fell over, "Bob!" she yelled, glaring at the blond.

"You don't like it? I think it's a nice name." He replied taking another swig.

"It's a guys name."

"Not true. It's universal." The boy stuck his bottle in the sand and put his arms behind him and leaned back.

"Like hell it is."

"I have a female cousin named Bob."

"Of course you do." May narrowed her eyes.

"It's short for Bobella of course," the boy said with a completely straight face.

"Of course" May grinned and turned back to look at the lake. But the boy wasn't done yet. Leaning forward he offered his hand to May in greeting.

"Well Bob. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Littleroot. My name is Brendan Birch."

May stared at Brendan for a few seconds before shaking his hand. "Very well Brendan. You can stop calling me that now."

"You have a name you like more?" he asked grinning.

May grinned back, "Very clever. Fine you win. May Green."

"Well May Green it's a pleasure to meet you." Brendan took another swig of his bottle before continuing, "I hope you don't mind if I call you Bob."

"That's not fair, I told you my name."

"Yeah well I like Bob."

May sighed, "This place just gets better and better."

"What brings you here then?" Brendan asked. May had to respect the guy; he had downed over half a bottle of fire whisky by himself and didn't seem to be getting drunk, normally that much liquor would floor a grown man.

May really didn't feel like spilling her heart out to a stranger so she just made up a story, "My mom wanted to move somewhere with clean air, and I'm not legally allowed to live by myself."

"I guess that means you didn't want to come?"

"That's an understatement."

Brendan couldn't miss the bitterness in the girls voice but he decided not to dwell on it. "I think you'll like it here. It's really not that bad. And pretty soon the Pokemon League starts, that's always fun."

The Pokemon League was an annual event that each region participated in. Aspiring trainers from all over had eight months to qualify for the region finals. This was done by traveling all over the region and challenging Gym Leaders for Badges. At the end of the eight months all trainers that had successfully won eight badges would participate in the region finals. Then the top 3 qualifiers from each region would move onto the World Championships. The World Championships lasted for two weeks in the summer. The title of Pokemon Champion was given too whoever came out on top over the best of all the regions.

To say that May was unexcited about the Pokemon League would be an understatement. It took every once of self-control May had to not voice her particular opinions in a way that would offend Brendan. Instead she simply didn't say anything.

"I'm thinking of competing this year," Brendan continued, "My Dad doesn't really want me too, he'd rather me go into science. But I think I could do pretty well, although there's been a couple new Gym Leaders added this year, Apparently Old Man Emberson retired leaving his granddaughter in charge, and there's this new Gym Leader who's replaced the old Petalburg Gym. I've heard he's ruthlessly strong and no one knows how he battles so I think he may be a tough one to beat."

May had gone very quiet. She of course knew the man that Brendan was talking about, and the very thought of him made her angry. She tried to contain it, the last thing she needed was to explode at the first person she'd met in this new place.

"What kind of Pokemon do you like Bob?" Brendan asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"None." She replied coldly.

"Excuse me?" Brendan asked, clearly confused.

"I don't like Pokemon." May repeated, her voice icy.

"Oh…. Well that's alright too. I guess." He was obviously surprised but he didn't condemn her like so many others had, and for that May was grateful. Usually when people learned of her views the shunned her and some had even gone so far as physical violence. May still bore scars, internal and external, from the times that some of the other kids had decided to teach to Pokemon hater a lesson.

They sat there in silence for a long while until May promptly got up. "It's late and I should get home." Without giving Brendan a chance to say anything May hurriedly ran off.

Brendan sat alone on the beach for a few more minutes. '_Wow. Bob has some issues."_ He thought to himself and then he promptly downed the remainder of the bottle of fire whisky.


	3. It starts

Disclaimer- I do not own Pokemon 

Chapter 2- It starts

The next few days passed by quickly in Littleroot, although they were anything but uneventful. It did not take long for the townsfolk to learn of May's intense dislike for Pokemon. And while they did not openly confront and ridicule her, May could still fell their stares on her whenever she walked out in public. The only people in the whole town who would talk to her more than necessary were her mother and Brendan.

May learned that Brendan was the son of Professor Birch, a relatively famous scientist. Professor Birch was currently out working in the field, something, as Brendan informed May he did often. The professor was due back sometime that week although it was common for him to be late; according Brendan his father never really had much use for schedules.

One day, about a week after she had arrived in Littleroot May's mother had suddenly declared that they were going to Petalburg to see her father. May had refused flat out. That sparked an argument between May and her mother that had ended with May stomping off angrily. Once May had calmed down, her mother told her that she wouldn't make May go and said that she had needed to talk to her father about some things anyways. Leaving May in Littleroot, Mrs. Green left for Petalburg. The entire incident had left May rather foul and it was only through Brendan's intervention that she hadn't killed some hapless Pokemon out of anger. The boy had proposed going to the next town over to do some shopping. That cheered May up somewhat and the next day she was waiting outside the town waiting for Brendan.

'_Lazy bugger's probably still asleep_.' She thought to herself. It was only 9:30am but May was anxious to get moving. She had some things to pick up for school, which started again in a week, and she wanted to have time left over to check out some clothes. May was about to go and drag Brendan out of bed when she heard someone scream.

"Aargh! Help! Someone help!" The voice was male and it came from somewhere close by.

Forgetting about Brendan, May dropped her backpack and ran towards the direction of the voice. What she found was something that made her want to scream.

A man, clearly in his 40's or 50's with a big bushy brown beard was on his rear backed up to a tree and was trying to fend off an attacking dog-like Pokemon with a stick. One of his legs looked very badly hurt and was covered in blood and he also had several painful looking gashes across his chest. The Pokemon 's jaws dripped blood and it wasn't hard to figure out what was happing.

"Get Back! Go Away!" The man yelled at the creature as he struck at it with the stick. The dog Pokemon was too quick however and it nimbly dodged the attack and bit the stick in half. Growling deeply it began to advance on the injured man. The poor man looked ready to piss himself when he noticed May. "Help me!"

Moving quickly, May grabbed the first thing that she could find, which happened to be a rock and threw it at the dog. The creature howled in pain as the rock hit its mark and turned to face its new prey. The dog's blood red eyes glowed with rage and May found herself unable to move as the Pokemon lunged at her.

All May could do was scream as the creature leaped at her and knocked her to the ground. The creature's claws dug deep into May's shoulders and it brought its face down to her face. Its red eyes bore into May's and blood from its jaws dripped onto the girl's face.

May reached out desperately with her arm looking for anything that she might be able to knock to creature off with. Her hand brushed up against something leathery and she used it to club the dog off of her just as it was about to lunge at her throat. Quickly getting to her feet May realized that she was holding a large leather backpack. '_It must belong to the man._' She thought to herself. Taking a quick glance over to the man she noticed that he wasn't moving and his eyes were closed. '_Shit.'_

May didn't have time to help the man as the Pokemon was getting back to its feet, looking angrier and scarier than ever. May gulped and took what she hoped was a defense stance, holding the bag between her and the dog. Her shoulders stung with every movement but she knew that one wrong action could mean death. The creature's eyes glowed red again and May could feel her body freezing up. '_No!'_ she commanded to herself and when the Pokemon lunged again May was ready. Quickly stepping out of the way May brought the heavy bag down on top of the dog. Unfortunately the dog was too fast and it rolled out of the way before being crushed and the bag struck against the ground. The force of the impact caused one of the zippers on the bag to burst open and a small red and white ball fell out and struck the ground, opening with a flash of red light.

Now standing between the black dog and May was a small green lizard. The lizard was barely a foot tall with large yellow eyes and a dark tail that was almost bigger than it was. It seemed to be surprised at its sudden freedom. It's large green eyes showed confusion as it looked around.

The dog Pokemon seemed just as surprised at the sudden appearance of the green lizard but it soon recovered and growled deeply. The lizard just ignored the aggressive Pokemon and continued to look at its surroundings. When it saw the injured man it's eyes widened in shock. The dog however, didn't seem to like that it was being ignored and it let out a mighty roar. The lizard was completely unfazed and it reached over and clamped the dog's mouth shut with its hand. The lizard then started jabbering at the dog, pointing to the injured man. May couldn't understand a word of it but she couldn't help but feel that the little lizard was questioning the dog about its master. The dog had apparently had enough of the lizard and instead of replying it lunged forward and tackled it to the ground.

The lizard didn't seem troubled at all by its predicament, pressing its feet up against the underside of the dog it used its large tail to push its self up and flip the dog over its head. The dog yelped with surprise as it suddenly found itself upside down on the ground. Hastily getting to its feet it turned growling at the lizard that had now adopted a fighting stance. Eyes blazing with rage the dog leapt at the lizard, aiming to rip it's head off but the lizard was too fast and the dog bite nothing but the air where the lizard had been moments before. The dog turned to see the lizard standing behind him and it roared with rage and leapt at its foe claws bared but the lizard was again to fast. The battle continued much like this; every time the dog would attack, the lizard would no longer be there occasionally the lizard would strike back with its tail or fists but neither combatant would ever do much damage to the other.

May found herself not wanting to take her eyes away from the battle but a low moan from the injured man brought her back to reality. Rushing to his side May saw that the wounds were even worse than she had first thought, using the bandanna she was wearing to stop the bleeding from his leg she began looking through the backpack to see if there was anything that could help. With a triumphant cry she pulled out some old clothes, "I hope you don't mind getting your clothes a little dirty," she said to the man as she used the clothes to wipe up some of the blood that was all over his chest. The man simply groaned incoherently, although caught a few words.

"Don't……….rendan….plea……." May's eyes widened in shock; had the man just said Brendan's name? May suddenly realized that this man could very well be Brendan father; after all he was due back sometime this week. If that was the case, May hoped more than ever that the man was all right, she doubted her friend be happy to see his father dead in her arms. She began to work even faster trying desperately to stop the constant flow off blood.

In the battle the green lizard was beginning to slow down, he wasn't used to such extended periods of exertion. The dog however fought on like a raging beast, never slowing and never feeling pain. The lizard knew that he had to end the fight then or else the dog would, and the lizard certainly didn't like the thought of that at all. As the dog lunged again the lizard dodged by leaping to the side although he wasn't as fast as he had been and the dog's claws raked across his tail, leaving deep marks.

The dog turned to face its opponent once more but it didn't attack, it instead raised its bloody paw as if to show the lizard his own blood. Then the dog began to lick the blood off of its claws, it's red eyes always on its foe. When it was done the dogs eyes seemed to mock the lizard and its mouth drew into a malevolent smirk. The dog knew it would win this fight and now it was toying with its prey. Laughing mirthlessly the dog took an attacking stance and readied itself to continue.

The lizard quickly glanced around to see if it could gain some sort of advantage. His eyes fell on the broken half of the stick lying next to the human girl that was trying to help his master. It wasn't much but it was long enough. Thinking quickly, the lizard jumped quickly out of the way of the attacking dog and ran over to the stick, picking it up he turned and faced the dog, holding the stick between them like a sword. This seemed to amuse the dog and it began to laugh, deep mirthless growls that sent chills down the lizard. When it stopped laughing the dog narrowed its red eyes and lunged barking at the lizard.

May noticed the following out of the corner of her eye but what she saw amazed even her. The lizard using the stick with surprising proficiency rushed forward and swept the legs of the dog out from underneath it and sent it crashing to the ground. '_What the hell does that little lizard think it is, some kind of Samurai?'_ Her thoughts were cut off by a loud groan from the Professor. She wasn't the only one to hear it though; the dog had risen to its feet when it heard the sound as well. Glancing past the lizard to eye the injured man and girl it's eyes darted between them and the lizard as if forming some kind of plan. Grinning evilly the dog lunged forward again, but this time it leapt right over the lizard and barreled towards the humans, teeth bared. May let out what she was sure would be her final scream.

"Blazer! Attack!"

The dog was knocked out of the air mid leap by a blazing fireball. May stared in shocked silence as the fire dissipated to reveal a small orange bird that was hopping up and down from one foot to the other. The lizard wasted no time, while the dog was getting to its feet he ran over and leapt on top of the creature. Holding the stick high above its head the lizard thrust downwards with the broken end.

The dog roared in pain as the stick pierced its left eye, bursting it open in a mix of blood and ooze. The stick missed the creatures brain however as the dog bucked the lizard off and turned to face both its opponents. Realizing that it was now outnumbered and injured the dog gave its foes a look of absolute hatred then turned and ran off into the tall grass. As it passed May saw it glance at her. The look in its remaining eye sent chills down her spine, she couldn't shake the feeling that she would see that eye again.

"May! What happened?" May recognized that voice, it was the voice that had commanded the bird to attack. Still in a daze May felt someone grasp her arms and shake her. She recognized that white-blond hair. Brendan. Wait, wasn't that man related to Brendan? Snapping into reality she grabbed onto him.

"Brendan! We need to help your dad!"

"What?" May saw Brendan's eyes dart to the man lying beside them then she saw those eyes widen in shock, "Oh my God! Dad!" Hastily letting go of May, Brendan rushed over to his father's side.

"He's not doing good. We need to get him back to town." May put her hand on Brendan's shoulder. The boy looked at her, and his amber eyes hardened. Nodding he wrapped his father's arm around his shoulder and lifted his father up. May took the other arm and they began to carry the older man back to the town. The small orange bird followed behind them. The lizard picked up the red and white ball it had sprung from and followed suit.

It took the two teens only a few minutes to carry the professor back to town, but to May it felt much longer. The pain from her wounds was almost enough to cause her to pass out but she managed to stay on her feet. When they reached town a townswoman who was hanging her laundry out to dry saw them. At the sight of the bloody man and the injured girl the woman screamed for help and ran over. A group of people soon ran over to help the teenagers and one large man took the professor's arm from May.

"Here," the man said as he lifted the man off May. Looking to one of the other men he said, "Jerry. Go to Petalburg and get the doctor. Take my Pokemon for protection, these injuries weren't by accident." The large man tossed the man named Jerry a pokeball with his free arm. Jerry nodded and quickly ran out off to get a doctor. "Brendan, lets get him to the lab. There's medical supplies there." Brendan nodded and they carried the professor to the large building across from May's house.

May was starting to feel woozy from blood loss and exertion. Holding a hand to her forehead she wearily tried to follow Brendan, but she was more tired than she realized and tripped over her own feet. She felt someone's arms support her and keep her from falling over. Somewhere through the daze she heard a woman's voice talking to her. "There you go dear. Let's get those cuts treated and clean you up, your face is covered in blood."

"Iz…. not… mine" May tried to say but she suddenly felt very tired. May felt her legs give out beneath her and the last thing she remembered before blacking out was the woman's voice shouting, "Doug! Get her to the lab."

* * *

It was dark. 

May couldn't remember was it was so dark, nor could she remember why she couldn't feel her body. May couldn't remember anything.

'_How are they doc?' _a male voice spoke out from the black.

Where's that voice come from? May looked all around but everything was dark. May knew that voice, but she couldn't remember where from.

'_They'll be fine. Although I don't think your father will want to do so much field work now. He's going to have a bad limp.' _May didn't know that voice.

'_I doubt that it'll stop him.' _The younger voice laughed, _'But what about May? How's she doing?'_

'_She's fine. The girl only sustained a few cuts. Although some were pretty deep, there might be scars.'_

May heard a woman sniffle and felt something cold touch her forehead.

'_Poor girl. She was always so obsessed with her looks. I told her she was beautiful but now she's going to be even more insecure.'_

May recognized that voice. Mom.

May heard the unknown voice speak again, '_What did you say happened, Brendan?'_

Brendan. May knew that name. That's the name of the boy who lived next door to her.

'_It was a Mightyena.'_

'_Are you sure?_'

'_Positive. And it was a mean looking one too.'_

'_Mightyena aren't timid creatures by any stretch, and there have been attacks on humans before, although those are rare. The last reported wild Mightyena attack was over twenty years ago.'_

'_We'll have to tell the townspeople to be careful outside the town.'_

May heard another unknown voice enter the conversation._ 'Yes. I think that would be a good idea. But what was it doing here in the first place? Mightyena aren't indigenous to this area'_

'_Maybe it was an alpha Poochyena that managed to evolve?'_

'_I doubt it Brendan. Poochyena are cowards, I can't see one getting strong enough to evolve around here. The ones that are wild are usually decendants of tamed Mightyena that were released. But I suppose it is possible.'_

'_Maybe it wasn't wild at all.'_

'_What do you mean, doc?'_

'_There have been rumors going around about a gang war; fights have been breaking out in larger cities all over the place. And from what I've heard most of the gang members from both sides use Mightyena.'_

'_But what do Dad and May have to do with a gang war?'_

'_I don't think May has anything to do with it, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.'_

May heard her mother sniff back tears again. '_Poor girl.'_

'_If she hadn't been there Dad wouldn't be here now Mrs. Green.'_

'_That's right, you should be proud of your daughter, Amy.'_

'_I am.' _May could hear sadness in her mothers voice and wanted to comfort her, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't move or speak.

'_Alright doc. So May isn't involved, what about Dad?'_

'_I'm afraid you would know more about the Professor's research than I would. Is there anything he was working on that may be of interest for gangs?'_

'_I can't think of anything, all Dad does is research on Pokemon.'_

'_I can.' _May heard the second strange voice say. '_The Professor is also the leading authority on Pokemon legends and lore. His last trip was to visit an old ruin north of Mauville. When I spoke with him last over the phone he said that he had found something of extraordinary importance. He claimed he had an artifact that would confirm the existence of something that was thought to be only a fairy tale._

'_What was it Mr. Smith?'_

'_I don't know. He said that he couldn't say over the phone, it wasn't secure enough. I thought he was just worried about another scientist laying claim to his discovery but now I don't think it was that trivial.' _

'_It would seem not.'_

May could feel the darkness clouding over her. As much as she wanted to hear the rest of the conversation she slipped back into the deep black that surrounded her and heard nothing.

* * *

The darkness waspierced by a pair of glowing red eyes. 

May awoke with a scream, sitting up so quickly that the wet cloth on her forehead flew off and hit the bed near her feet. Tears streamed from her eyes. Clutching her head in both hands she screamed., "No! Go away!"

"May!" May felt someone hug her tightly; she tried to shake the person off but her mother held her tight. "It's okay May. You're alright."

Slowly May calmed down, her breathing became regular and the tears stopped falling.

"Where am I?"

Her mother stroked her daughter's hair, "You're at Professor Birch's Lab. The townspeople brought you here when you collapsed. I met the man looking for the doctor in Petalburg and came home right away."

May nodded and hugged her mother for a few minutes. After a while she felt better. "I'm ok now, Mom."

Her mother let go and May saw that her mother's eyes were red and puffy from crying. She also had the look of someone who had been up for longer than they were used to. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost a day from what I heard. You must've been tired."

This drew a small smile from May, "I was." May pushed the blankets aside and saw that someone had removed her bloody clothes for her; she was now wearing a new pair of jeans and her entire upper torso was covered with bandages. "How bad am I hurt?" she asked her mother. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed she looked around for something to cover her mostly naked upper-half.

Her mother passed her a vest to wear over the bandages, "The cuts were deep and the doctor says that there might be scarring. He gave you some ointment to put on it but he recommends that you keep the bandages on for a few days.

May looked down at her chest, never that big in the best of times but with the bandages pressing down on her it seemed even smaller, "I'm flatter than a ten year old." She mad a sour face as she put the vest on, wincing with the pain of moving her shoulders.

Her mother just laughed at her vanity, "I really don't think you should worry about that dear."

"Easy for you to say," the girl muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Uhh…how's Brendan's Dad?" May asked, changing the subject quickly.

"Dad's fine May." May jumped at the boy's voice, '_I hope he didn't hear that conversation.' _She turned to see Brendan standing in the doorway, a man leaning on a crutch was behind him. It took May a second to recognize him as the man she had saved.

Brendan moved into the room to let his dad in. The man hobbled over to May and extended his hand, a warm smile on his bearded face.

"Hello May, I'm Professor Birch. I can't thank you enough for what you did."

May smiled weekly and shook the man's hand, "It's really not that big a deal."

The man shook his head, "Psshaw! Don't be so modest, May. If it wasn't for you…. Well I wouldn't be hear right now. You have my sincerest gratitude." He turned to Mrs. Green, "You've raised a hell of a daughter, Amy."

May felt her cheeks burn at the praise, she wasn't used to this much attention. But somewhere deep in her mind a voice told her to tell the old man to shove it, that it was his fault she'd gotten hurt. She pushed that voice away and tried to stammer out something.

Brendan stopped her, "May, just accept the thank you. Dad's too stubborn to let you do otherwise. He's supposed to be in bed now resting but he insisted on coming and thanking you."

The older man waved his hand dismissively, "I'm fine. Never felt better. That old crackpot doesn't know what he's talking about." As if to emphasize this the professor let out a hearty laugh and pounded his chest with his hand.

Brendan rolled his eyes. "Whatever Dad." May couldn't help giggling.

"I feel like I should give you something for all this," the professor scratched at his beard as he thought of a gift.

"Nono. You don't need to do that."

"Nonsense, it's the least I could do." The man looked around the room until his eyes fell on something past May. "Aha!" The girl turned around and followed his gaze to the small table that was set up beside the bed she'd been in. On it was a small red and white ball.

'_Oh crap.'_

"I'll assume you got that from my bag, May?" the professor asked. May nodded her head. "Excellent. Then as thanks for saving my life I'm going to let you keep that Pokemon!" He smiled widely, clearly expecting May to be overjoyed. Both Brendan and May's mother stared at May, trying to gauge her reaction.

May tried to look as grateful as she could, "Thank you for the offer Mr. Birch, but I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Nonsense girl. Don't worry about it all, I've got lots more where that one came from," he laughed again.

"That's not what I meant." But the professor didn't pay any attention. Turning around he hobbled back out the door.

"It's no problem at all my dear. Just be sure to treat it well. Come on Brendan, I think I need to lie down." Brendan gave May an apologetic look and turned to follow his father.

May walked over to the table and picked up the small ball and looked at it for a few seconds. The she tossed it to her mother. "Congratulations Mom. You are now the proud owner of a crazy wannabe-samurai lizard. Enjoy."

May's mother walked over to her daughter and grabbed her hand. She placed the pokeball back in her daughter's hand and looked her in the eyes, "I don't think so May. This Pokemon is yours and you are going to treat it well. Or you'll be grounded for the rest of your life."

May was stunned by her mother's words and spent several minutes staring at the ball in her hand.

'_God damn it'_


	4. A trainer is born

**Disclaimer- **I don't own anything. I don't even own the computer I'm using right know.

Chapter 3- A trainer is born

"And if you then subtract the original function from the new equation you should see that it will cancel out."

May sat at her desk, propped up on her elbow staring blankly at the chalkboard as the math teacher was going over her lesson. May didn't really get it but it was late in the day and the hot sun shining into the room made her very tired and it didn't seem worth it to pay attention. She could always ask Brendan to explain it to her later anyways.

It had been two weeks since the Mightyena attack and school had started up again. So May had soon found herself back into the classroom, learning stuff she knew she would never need to know.

May snapped out of her daze when something hit against the side of her head. Looking down she saw a small paper ball lying on her desk. Opening it up she saw the words "Pokemon hater" scribbled there. Sighing she tossed it into the desk and tried to pay attention to what the teacher was talking about. She was used to the insults after twelve years. The other students never took kindly to her views on Pokemon and more often than not responded with slander.

"And before you leave," the teacher addressed the class, "There will be a meeting after class today for those of you who will be competing in the Pokemon League. As you already know only those students who had maintained an 85 average last year will be allowed to take the year off."

The bell rang for the end of the day and the students quickly packed up and left. May moved slower than the others, she had learned long ago that avoidance was the easiest way to coexist with other people. Packing her backpack with textbooks she left the school for the long walk home. Since Littleroot was such a small town the children had to travel to the school in Oldale everyday. When she left the school, Brendan was nowhere to be seen. '_Probably stayed for that meeting.'_ Noticing the stares coming from other students May decided that Brendan would catch up and left.

Ten minutes later May heard someone shouting out for her. "Hey, Bob! Wait up!" May smirked inwardly but put her best "annoyed" face on and turned around. True enough, Brendan was running to catch up with her.

"How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?" she asked when he got close enough.

"And how many times have I told you I don't care?" he said, gasping for breath.

"Thirty-seven."

"Really? Wow, I could've sworn it was only thirty-six." He grinned.

She stared out him a few moments then chuckled, "You're a loser." She turned around and continued walking.

Brendan fell in step beside her, "If I'm a loser than you're a loser by association."

"I try."

They walked in silence for a while until Brendan spoke up, "So…. uh, how's the Treecko doing?" The glare he received from May could've frozen ice, and Brendan raised his hands in a gesture of peace, "Sorry. I wouldn't ask but Dad's been bugging me."

May looked away from him, "Then lie."

"I'm no good at lying."

"You lie about being attractive all the time."

"Hey!" Brendan tried to look hurt but May just ignored him.

After a while May turned to the boy, "If it makes you happy, I haven't killed the stupid thing yet."

"I guess that'll have to do. It wouldn't kill you to try and be friends with him."

"I'd rather drink turpentine." The tone in her voice told Brendan that it would be a smart idea to leave it at that and he remained silent the rest of the way home.

When May arrived home the first thing she did was dart up the stairs to her room and take off the uniform that she was required to wear to school. "Ugh. I hate skirts." Changing into something more comfortable she headed downstairs and into the to the kitchen.

"Hey Mom. What's for dinner?"

"I haven't started it yet, dear," her mother's voice rang from the living room. "Feel free to make something for yourself."

May opened the pantry door and looked inside; she didn't feel like making anything big so she grabbed a box of KD and readied the water. "Hey Mom. I'm making Kraft Dinner, you want any?" the girl called out.

"Sure."

May began to prepare the dinner. She was used to cooking for herself, her mother had usually worked late hours back in the city and May had had to fend for herself. Now that they lived in Hoenn they got to eat together more often. '_I guess there are some good things about this place.' _

The water had just started boiling when May's mother came into the kitchen, followed by May's Treecko. The little green lizard seemed to have found a new stick and it held it at its side. When it saw May, it bowed at the waist.

May glared annoyingly at her Pokemon, "Who let you out of your ball, lizard?"

May's mother frowned, "I let him out. It's not good for him to be cooped up all the time."

"Isn't it my job to decide what's good for him or not?" May asked as she poured the contents of the box into the boiling water.

"It's your job, May, to care about your Pokemon." May's mother went to the cupboard and withdrew two bowls.

"He's less likely to piss me off inside the ball, I like to think of that as keeping him safe." May poured the cheese packet into the pot and began stirring with a wooden spoon.

"Don't get smart with me."

The KD was done and May scooped the pot into the two bowls and set the empty pot in the sink. Getting two forks, she passed one to her mother and began eating her dinner. "So what were you watching on TV?"

Her mother swallowed a mouthful of food and looked at her daughter. "It was just a news story on the Pokemon League. It starts next week. I hear Brendan's hoping to participate."

May nodded, "Yeah. Hopefully some of the other kids at school will leave too, though I doubt most are smart enough."

May's mother looked at her daughter, "The other students giving you trouble, dear?"

May waved her forked dismissively and swallowed her food, "No more than ever. Don't worry about it."

"I could have a talk with the principal about it."

"No. That'd just make things worse. I'll be fine. I've done it for twelve years."

"If you say so, dear."

"I do. Why was the lizard in there with you?" May asked jerking a thumb towards the Pokemon standing like a sentinel beside her.

"He was watching TV with me. It turns out he especially likes those old fashion movies."

The older woman laughed.

May rolled her eyes, "Great, as if he wasn't bad enough about the stupid samurai thing, now you have him watching crappy martial arts movies."

"I think it's cute."

"You would."

The two ate in silence for a few minutes until Mrs. Green spoke up, "I think you should name him, May."

"Not interested."

"You can't keep calling him lizard."

"Would he like 'useless piece of crap' more?"

"May!"

May put her empty bowl in the sink, "I have homework to do." With that the girl left the kitchen.

May was passing through the living room to the stairs when she heard something.

"Hello, this is Pokemon News. Today we're continuing with our interviews on the Gym Leaders that will be participating in this years Pokemon League."

May looked over to see that her mother had left the TV on. Walking over to turn it off May stopped dead in her tracks when the scene changed, showing a large gym. May recognized the man standing in front of the gym beside the reporter immediately. He looked a little older and there were streaks of gray in his black hair but there was no mistaking Norman Green.

"On this episode we'll be talking to Norman Green. The newly instated Gym Leader for Petalburg City," the announcer continued. "This will not only be Mr. Green's first year as a Gym Leader, but this will also be his first year in Hoenn. Though he has asked for us to keep his Pokemon a secret, he wants it to be a surprise to those trainers who challenge him, we can certainly attest to Mr. Green's skill."

May felt the anger bubbling to the surface and yet she couldn't make herself turn away from the TV.

The reporter had begun her interview, "So Mr. Green, what brought you all the way here to Hoenn?"

'_He was a coward, that's what."_

"The region of Hoenn was always a great interest to me. The land here is beautiful and there are so many wonderful Pokemon that here that you can't find anywhere else in the world." Norman Green said with a smile. May could feel her hatred grow with every word coming from the man.

"And you came all the way here from Johto by yourself? I understand you have a family."

Norman smiled sadly, "Yes, I have a wife and daughter. I haven't seen my daughter in a long time though. If she's watching right now I'd like to say that I'm sorry and I love her."

"Liar!" May screamed at the TV.

"May? What's wrong?" her mother's voice came from the kitchen. But May didn't hear it; she was already up the stairs when her mother came into the living room to see what had set her daughter off. When she saw the TV she immediately knew what had happened. Turning off the TV, her own eyes threatening to cry, she said softly, "I'm sorry May."

* * *

The next day was a day that May would remember for the rest of her life.

Breakfast that morning was silent. May sat at the table across from her mother and never said a word. When the time came for May to leave for school she got up without a word and left her mother alone

Brendan met May at the entrance to town. He had seen the news show the previous night and although he had never asked May about her father he was smart enough to put two and two together. Noticing his friend's mood Brendan decided against questioning May for the time being. The walk to school was a silent one.

The morning passed quickly and May soon found herself sitting outside at lunch. She sat underneath a large tree and ate her lunch. Lost deep in thought she didn't notice the small lizard come up to her.

"Treecko?" the small creature placed its hand on May's arm.

Surprised by the sudden contact May jumped, banging her head of the tree. Cursing loudly she looked to see the lizard standing beside her, still holding its stick.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the girl demanded angrily.

The lizard pointed at May and then at himself, "Treecko treecko!"

May was annoyed at the creature, "Whatever. Just go home." The lizard shook its head. May felt the familiar anger begin to bubble within her, "I'm your master. Do what I say. Go away."

The Treecko shook its head again. "Tree Treecko!" It pointed at May again.

May was starting to get pissed; she just wanted to be left alone. "Listen here you stupid lizard," May made to grab the lizard but it jumped out of the way.

Growling angrily May got up and stomped off across the schoolyard. When she looked behind her she was angry to see that the lizard had followed her. She was about to yell at it but someone else spoke up first.

"Hey look! The Pokemon hater has a friend!"

May looked to see a group of teenagers standing near her. The one who had spoken looked to be their leader. May recognized him from her history class.

"I guess she's not better than the rest of us after all." One of the other teens said mockingly.

"What's the matter Green, you finally come to your senses?" The leader laughed.

May just gritted her teeth, all they wanted was a reaction. She tried to turn and leave but a crowd had grown and she couldn't escape.

"I don't think so, Green. They're all as fascinated as we are as to why you've had such a sudden change of heart."

May glared down at the small lizard beside her, "This is all your fault." The Pokemon didn't look at her; instead he stepped in front of his master and held his stick pointed towards the leader, eyes narrowed.

The group of teens seemed to be very amused by this, "Not only do you have a Pokemon but it's just as weird as you are, Green. I'm learning all kinds of new things about you today." The other's laughed at their leaders joke.

"I'm happy that I can amuse you so much Jordan, now leave me alone." May growled.

The leader narrowed his eyes, "Now, you don't think I'd let such a pretty girl get away that easily, do you?"

"I was kinda hoping for it. Yeah." May tried to appear impassive.

"I'm sorry to burst your bubble Green, but I think that a special occasion like this calls for a celebration."

"And what special occasion would that be?" May was getting annoyed; she just wanted to be left alone.

"Why the Pokemon hater changing her ways of course." Jordan grinned, "Then again, you haven't been here very long and no one really knows you all that well. Maybe the whole thing was just a desperate ploy to get attention."

May laughed at that, "If you think I'd ever try to get the attention of you and your cronies then you're stupider than you look Jordan and that's saying a lot."

Jordan narrowed his eyes, "Oh yeah? How about you put your money where your mouth is. I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!"

The crowd that had formed around them erupted with gasps of surprise and murmurs. May however looked impassive, "I'll pass." She tried to walk away again but the crowd wouldn't let her through.

"What's the matter? Scared of losing?"

May laughed bitterly, "If you think you can goad me into fighting you then you'll have to do better than that."

"You are afraid then."

"Terrified. Let me through," she ordered the crowd in front of her. The students, realizing that there wouldn't be a battle moved to let her through.

"Too bad, I was hoping that the daughter of a Gym Leader would offer a challenge."

May stopped immediately.

Jordan continued, "What? Surprised I know? Come on, your last name is Green, and you just happen to move here the same time that a new Gym Leader is assigned. They've been pretty hush-hush about his personal life and I guess I understand why now. His daughter's a freak."

May heard something deep within her laughing. Soon she also joined in. It was a mirthless dark laugh and the students near May began to back off, afraid. When she stopped the girl turned slowly to look atJordan. The look in her eyes was enough to wipe the smile off his face.

Looking down at the Treecko she nodded, "Kick his ass."

The small lizard nodded and positioned himself in an attack stance, stick pointed straight at Jordan.

Jordan was shocked by the sudden change of attitude but he quickly recovered and tossed his pokeball onto the ground. It erupted in a red flash and when the light dissipated a rock with arms was floating above the ground.

"Geodude!" the rock cried beating its arms against its body.

* * *

Brendan had stayed inside the school to talk to one of the teachers about skipping the year and was just getting out to the yard when he noticed the large crowd. Pokemon battles were commonplace in the schoolyard so he didn't pay it much thought. Glancing quickly around he noticed that May was nowhere to be seen. He knew that she wouldn't have gone over to watch a Pokemon battle so where had she gone? He looked over at the large crowd when he thought of something. Crowds didn't get that big unless a really big battle was happening. "What are the odds…?"

Running quickly over to the crowd he tried to hear what was going on, but the students were making so much noise that it was impossible to hear over them. Trying to see past them was also useless, Brendan was tall but there were too many people. '_Only one thing to do then.'_ he thought to himself as he began to push his way through the mass of students. What he saw when he broke through to the front shocked him. It was indeed a Pokemon that had drawn the crowd, but it was May who was standing opposite Jordan.

"Billy, what the hell's going on here?" Brendan asked to the curly haired boy standing beside him.

"Brendan? Where have you been?"

"I had to stay behind and take care of something, what's May doing?"

"Jordan goaded her into a battle. Turns out she doesn't hate Pokemon after all, that Treecko's nuts." Billy pointed to the battle.

Brendan looked to see that Billy was right. May's Treecko was almost a blur as it dashed around Jordan's Geodude slashing with its makeshift sword. Brendan could see however that the damage was minimal.

"That's not going to work. A Geodude's skin is too hard, all it has to do is wait for the Treecko to get tired." Brendan thought out loud.

"I don't think Green knows that." Billy said.

Brendan looked over at May, she looked angry but Brendan knew that she had no idea what she was doing. Her Treecko was faster and more skilled than Jordan's Pokemon, but Jordan was the far more experienced trainer, and in the end that's what would count. Jordan was one of the best trainers at the school, and he was among those who had qualified for the Pokemon League.

In the battle the Treecko dodged another punch by the Geodude and lashed out with its stick-sword. The rock Pokemon shrugged it off and tried to grab at the lizard but he was too fast and it jumped out of the way.

"Geodude! Stop attacking and wait for it to come to you!" Jordan ordered his Pokemon. The rock complied immediately and backed off from the lizard. The Treecko looked at his master for instructions.

"What are you looking at me for? Attack you stupid lizard!" The Treecko sighed inwardly, he knew this battle was not going well for him and his master was not helping. His opponent and its trainer worked in unity and that was their strength. The lizard knew that he couldn't count on his trainer's help and that made it a two vs. one battle. Complying with his master's orders the Treecko darted forward towards the rock Pokemon.

"Now Geodude!"

The rock responded to its trainer perfectly, as soon as the Treecko swiped its stick the rock moved underneath it and grabbed at the green lizard. The lizard Pokemon tried to leap out of the way but it wasn't quite fast enough, the rock Pokemon grabbed a hold of his tail.

"Geodude, toss that lizard!"

With a firm hold on the lizard's tail the Geodude began to spin on its axis swinging its opponent in a wide circle. After it had reached the speed it wanted it let go of the lizard, sending him soaring upwards. Grabbing hold off the ground the Geodude ripped a piece of concrete bigger than itself out of the ground with no effort, it then waited until the lizard began to fall back downward. As soon as the Treecko hit the ground with a thud the Geodude let the slab fly.

May saw this happening and she knew that if the lizard was hit by that rock it'd all be over. Something within her pierced through the darkness clouding her mind and she screamed out, "Get out of the way you stupid lizard!"

Hearing its master's voice the Treecko's eyes snapped open and it rolled out of the way just as the rock crashed down. His stick had long been lost so the lizard took an attack stance, holding its fists out.

Jordan was shocked that the rock had missed but he recovered, "Your lizard's been watching to many movies, Green."

May smirked, "You don't know the half of it."

Brendan thought he saw something in the way May was standing. It looked almost as if she was actually getting into the battle. Brendan smirked, '_Daughter of a Gym Leader, eh? I guess even she can't deny what's in her blood.'_ Brendan knew that May would win this fight, he didn't know how he knew it but he did.

Jordan however didn't seem to realize that. "Geodude! Tackle that lizard!"

The rock Pokemon lunged forward making to plow into the Treecko with all its weight. May however had different plans. Something deep in her heart was telling her what to do and not even May wanted to deny something that strong. "Dodge it, and finish it off!"

The Treecko nimbly dodged the rock Pokemon's attack and hopped on top of it. Wrapping its feet tightly around the rocky Pokemon's body the lizard clasped both hands onto the Geodude's face.

Jordan could see that something was wrong with his Pokemon, the Geodude tried to buck the lizard off but every time it seemed to be less forceful than the one before it. His Pokemon was running out of energy fast. Too late Jordan remembered that Treecko were capable of absorbing their foes energy to replenish their own.

"Geodude! Get him off of you!" Jordan cried out, but it was too late. The rock Pokemon had sunk to the ground, not having enough energy to keep itself aloft anymore. Deep cracks had appeared over its body and a low groan was the only sound it could make. Jordan quickly recalled his Pokemon, his face burning with embarrassment. The Treecko, looking significantly better, bowed deeply to him and turned to return to its trainer.

The battle over, the crowd began to disperse. Brendan ran over to May. "That was incredible!"

May looked down at the Treecko standing beside her. Looking at Brendan she made a disgusted face, "I feel so dirty."

Brendan laughed and clapped his friend on the back, "It'll be alright, Bob."

* * *

That night May lay on her bed staring at the ceiling; her mind ablaze with thoughts of the events that had happened that day. She still hated Pokemon, but there had been something within her during the battle. It had been a rush that she'd never felt before. Sighing to herself she got up off her bed and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a pair of old sweatpants and a loose tank top that left her shoulders bare. The wounds from the Mightyena attack had mostly healed except for one that ran from just above her left breast to her shoulder on the same side. May knew that she'd have a scar there. Sighing again she tied her shoulder length hair into a loose ponytail and sat down on her floor.

When her grandfather had still been alive he had taught May how to calm her mind though meditation. It was something that May used when she wanted to organize her thoughts and think clearly. Folding her legs like she had been taught May cut off her senses and turned her mind inward.

May sat there, completely motionless for half an hour calming her mind, when she noticed something beside her. Opening one eye to see what it was she was surprised to see a familiar small green lizard sitting beside her, legs folded just like hers a new stick laid across his lap. The lizard opened one eye to look into May's. The girl grinned slightly at the creature, the first real act of kindness she'd ever shown a Pokemon and went back to her meditation. "Stupid lizard" she chuckled lightly.

After another hour of meditation May brought herself out of deep thought and pushed herself to her feet. Brushing her knees off she looked down at the Treecko, who was now looking up at her.

"I just know I'm going to regret this." She squatted down to be closer to the small Pokemon. Reluctantly she offered her hand to the lizard. The lizard stared for a second before its face broke into a smile; putting his small hand into hers he shook it, bowing deeply.

May made an annoyed face and poked a finger at the Treecko's stomach, "Don't think this means I like you. I've just agreed to respect your right to exist." The lizard grinned again, and bowed at the waist. "I guess I need to give you a name now don't I?" May thought for a minute about it and got to her feet, "Well you do like those old movies… how about Kojiro?"

The lizard thought about it for a second then nodded, "Treecko!"

May nodded, "Alright, Kojiro it is." The lizard bowed again. May smirked, "Alright, alright. That's enough for now. Go watch TV or something." The lizard bowed again before leaving the room.

'_What the hell I've I gotten myself into now?'_

* * *

The next few days passed quickly. Word of the battle had spread like wildfire and May found herself the subject of many wild stories.

"It's actually kind of funny. From the rumors you'd think that you had been fighting thirty trainers at once." Brendan said as they walked home one day.

"It's just a stupid Pokemon battle. You'd think these people had never seen one before." May said. She tried to hide it but Brendan could tell that she was glad that for once when people talked about her they weren't acting like she was diseased.

"It's not every battle that someone like you manages to beat one of the best trainers around."

"What do you mean, 'Someone like me'?" May glared at the blond.

"Someone beautiful and intelligent," he said flashing a toothy grin.

"Jackass."

"Malevolent ice queen."

"Bite me."

"With pleasure."

May laughed, "Why do I hang out with you again?"

Brendan smiled and put his arm behind his head, "Geographical convenience mostly."

"Right," May could see Littleroot approaching, "We're almost home."

"Yeah," Brendan said. May thought that she heard a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Something up?" May asked her friend. The two teens entered the town and headed towards their homes.

"Listen, could you meet me later this evening."

"I guess so. Why?" May looked at her friend.

"You'll find out." Brendan avoided her gaze. They reached his house, "Anyways, tonight around 7, at the beach?"

"Ok."

"Be sure you're there," Brendan called as he opened the door to his house and then he was gone.

'_Wonder what that's all about?'_ thought May as she walked towards her own house.

Later that night May left her house and started off for the beach. It was early fall and a cool breeze blew over the town; making May glad she had worn a jacket. She put her hands in her pockets and felt the small ball that held Kojiro, she had decided to bring him along, mostly because the Mightyena attack was still fresh in her mind. Reaching the path through the thin woods she pushed through.

When she reached the beach she saw Brendan sitting on the sand staring out over the water at the golden sunset. May walked over to stand behind him and gazed out at the scene before her. The clouds painted a mosaic of reds and oranges as the golden orb descended towards the mountains on the other side of the lake. All of it reflected by the lakes calm mirror.

"It's beautiful." Brendan spoke up from his spot on the beach. May nodded her agreement. "I'm going to miss it."

This statement shocked May, "What do you mean?"

Brendan sighed, "The Pokemon League starts tomorrow and I've been accepted. I leave tomorrow." Brendan got to his feet and turned to face the girl. May could see that he had changed his clothes. Instead of his usual jeans and a T-shirt he now sported a pair of loose black pants and an orange long-sleeved shirt covered partially by a black vest.

May wanted to run away. She wanted to go cry and curse the world for taking her only friend away. Instead she just choked back the tears and smiled, "That's great. I'll be routing for you!"

"May…" Brendan tried to put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her but she brushed it aside.

"I'm fine! You go have fun! Get those badges or whatever they're called." May was dangerously close to tears now.

Brendan sighed and turned to look out over the water. The sun had just begun to disappear past the mountains and the sky blazed with fire. "I'll be coming home for holidays, you know to be with family and I've heard that some trainers can even get their Pokemon to fly them all over the world. And I'll write too."

May took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah."

Brendan turned back to look at May, "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now."

May nodded. Brendan went up to her and patted her on the shoulder, then he walked past her leaving May on the beach. He had just reached the path when he heard May speak up, "Wait."

Brendan turned around to see May looking at him.

"If you're going to leave than I won't stop you. But before you go there's something I need to see." May breathed deeply, as if readying herself to do something painful and looked straight into Brendan's eyes.

"Brendan Birch, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle."

* * *

Author's note:Reviews are the life-blood of the writer people.I know I'm not perfect andif you haveadvice or comments for me feel free to offer them. And I apologize forany spelling or grammar mistakes.


	5. A friend's farewell

**Disclaimer- I don't own pokemon**

Author's note- Sorry for the wait. I really hate how this chapter turned out but I had lots of crap going on and I wanted to get past this part. I promise the next chapters will be better.

* * *

Chapter 4- A friend's farewell

"Brendan Birch, I challenge you to a Pokemon battle."

Those words hit Brendan like a ton of bricks, and for a few moments he just stood thunderstruck, his mouth hanging open. He couldn't have heard right. There was no way that May would ever say something like that. The look of challenge in the girl's eyes snapped Brendan out of his daze, "You're not kidding are you?"

May didn't respond. Instead she reached inside her jacket pocket and pulled out a pokeball. Brendan saw the look of sadness pass across the girls face when she looked at the enlarged ball in her hand but it was quickly replaced with grim determination. Brendan knew that May was facing some inner conflicts but he was equally aware that if he refused this battle than May would never forgive him.

Grinning slightly in spite of himself Brendan unclipped a pokeball from his belt, "Alright May, if you insist." Enlarging the ball he stared into May's eyes. "Just don't expect me to go easy on you." Brendan pressed the small release button on his pokeball, opening in a flash of red light, moments later a small orange bird no bigger than a foot stood between May and Brendan.

May recognized it immediately as the Pokemon that had helped chase off the Mightyena. The most noticeable thing about the small creature was just how much energy it seemed to have. Constantly hopping from one foot to the other the bird never stopped moving for a second.

Taking a deep breath May released her own Pokemon. The lizard appeared before its master, stick held at its side. Kojiro, seeing that he was he was about to engage in battle, bowed deeply towards Brendan and his Pokemon then took a fighting stance. The bird seemed immensely amused by his actions and began chirping wildly.

"What's with the hyperactive feather duster?" May asked, eyeing the Pokemon in question.

"His name's Blazer. He's a Torchic, and he's not hyperactive he's just… excitable" Brendan retorted.

"Right." May's eyes hardened, "Let's start this."

Brendan's grin faded and nodded. Blazer seemed to notice the change in his master's demeanor and stopped chirping and glared at it's opponent, continuing to hop the whole time. Kojiro put his stick into a defensive position and awaited orders.

Brendan acted first, "Blazer, attack!"

The firebird's reaction was faster than May could believe. Before Brendan had even finished talking the bird had bolted forward eyes blazing. Kojiro was so surprised by the small bird's ferocity that he barely managed to dodge as Blazer slashed with his talons. As soon as the bird landed it lunged at Kojiro again, intent on slashing the lizard to ribbons with its claws. Instinctively Kojiro dropped to the ground and rolled under the leaping bird. After he had passed under, he quickly got to his feet and brought his stick up to intercept another attack. The bird had tried to peck at the lizard's eyes but Kojiro batted Blazers attack away.

"Don't let up Blazer! See if you can get that stick away from him." Brendan directed his Pokemon. Looking at his opponent Brendan could see that she was overwhelmed by the speed in which Blazer moved. '_She may be a born natural but a rookie's still a rookie.'_

"May! Your Pokemon relies on you to give it orders! If you don't you'll never win!" the boy yelled to his friend.

"Worry about yourself!" the girl replied. "Kojiro, don't let that bird outmaneuver you! And don't just stand there, attack back!"

Brendan just shook his head, '_She has so much to learn.'_

Blazer lunged forward again, hoping to tear Kojiro's stick out of his hands. The lizard ducked out of the way and slashed forward with his stick, hitting Blazer across the chest, putting all his might behind it Kojiro used the stick to fling the bird away. The bird chirped in surprised at the sudden change in direction but he twisted in mid air and used its small wings to flutter to the ground.

For reasons that May barely understood she found herself screaming, "Kojiro, attack it now!"

The lizard was only a green blur as it lunged forward at it's opponent. The small bird hadn't even reached the ground and it was completely defenseless as Kojiro brought his stick down in a devastating slash that sent the firebird sprawling.

Brendan smiled inwardly, '_Wow. I've never seen a Pokemon that fast with so much raw strength. Its reaction to commands is a little slow, but for a rookie it's phenomenal. The sad part is, May doesn't even realize how good she could be. Some people get all the luck."_

"Not bad Bob. Not bad at all." Brendan grinned, "Blazer, end this!"

The small bird hopped back up from the ground and glared at Kojiro, eyes ablaze with fire. For the first time the bird stopping moving and stood still. May wondered what had changed when she noticed something was wrong. All across the small birds body tiny flickers of flame were dancing among the feathers. The flames grew in size and the small creature's black eyes blazed a bright orange. The sun had just disappeared over the horizon and the low light added a sense of eeriness to the creature. Letting out a forceful shriek flames erupted from the bird's open mouth. The all-consuming inferno sped towards its target, intent on burning it and everything else to the ground.

May knew that Kojiro couldn't dodge the attack; the fireball was just to fast, the full force of that blaze would hit him. Something deep inside of her, past all the prejudice and hatred, in the very core of her being flared to life and all she heard as she shielded her eyes from the inferno was her own voice screaming, "Dodge it!"

The blaze struck the ground where the lizard stood and the sand erupted into a vicious firestorm causing Brendan to shield his own eyes. "That's enough Blazer!" the boy shouted over the roar of the fire. Blazer ceased the attack and the flames subsided. It took a little longer for the sand and dust to settle. Brendan opened his eyes to view the results. When the cloud settles instead of the charred body of a Treecko, Brendan saw something that shocked him beyond explanation. Nothing. The sand had blackened and small glassy patches were all that marked the spot where the lizards had been moments earlier.

The lizard in question was now nearly ten feet left of the point of impact, tired and slightly singed but very much conscious and in fighting condition.

Brendan couldn't believe it, "How?"

May opened her own eyes, and gaped at the lizard as well, "Kojiro dodged it?"

Brendan gritted his teeth, '_How could a Treecko dodge that? I'll have to ask Dad where the hell he managed to catch it. Gotta finish this battle first though.'_

"You're Pokemon's fast May. But it can't keep that up forever."

May barely heard him she was so shocked. All she could do was gape at the green lizard that had just outrun a speeding fireball.

Kojiro himself was tired, very tired. He had used all his energy to dodge that last attack and even then he had barely avoided it. Looking back at his master he saw her staring at him a look of shocked awe on her face.

"How did you do that?" the girl asked, almost whispering.

'_I did it because you asked it of me.'_

Even though Kojiro never said a word, May understood what the lizard wanted to say. Nodding wordlessly May raised the pokeball in her hand and pressed the button, Kojiro disappeared in a flash of red.

"It's over Brendan. You win."

The sudden change caught Brendan off guard. "What did you say?" he asked his friend, confusion etched on his face.

"The battle is over. You win."

"Oh…um… alright." Brendan withdrew Blazer and walked over to stand beside May. "Are you alright?" May turned to look at his face and Brendan could see small tear lines on her face.

"I'll be fine. I wanted to see something and I did. I'm sorry for everything."

Brendan waved her apology off, "It's alright."

May poked a finger into Brendan's chest, "But listen here Brendan. You'd better win that stupid League thing of yours or you'll have to answer to me." Brendan looked down at her surprised. May tried to look stern but she couldn't help but smile.

Brendan shuddered, "A fate worse than death."

"Hey!"

Brendan laughed out loud and started walking towards the town, "Come on, it's getting late. And you have school tomorrow."

The two made their way back to town and eventually found themselves in front of their houses. Brendan stood there for a moment staring at his house. Letting out a sigh he turned to May, "Well, I guess this is it."

"Yeah…"

"Good luck with school. And don't give up on that lizard of yours. Pokemon aren't that bad."

May was silent for a few seconds, "If you say so."

"Always the stubborn one, that'll never change will it?"

"Not if I can help it."

Brendan laughed, "Well that's good. I'd hate to have you change on me while I'm gone."

May started towards her house. "You'd better write," she called over her shoulder.

"I will."

When May reached her front door she opened it and turned to look at Brendan, "Well, good luck." Brendan nodded, and May went inside closing the door behind her.

Brendan stared at the closed door for a long while then he turned and went into his own house.

* * *

The next day most of the town turned out to see Brendan off.

Brendan's mother was crying, "Remember not to talk to anybody who look like they might mug you. And brush your teeth, and…"

"Mom, I'll be fine."

"That's right Lisa, he'll be fine" Professor Birch let out a laugh, "he's a grown man now."

"But…"

"Mom, it'll be alright. I'm only gone a year." Brendan said.

"I guess you're right." His mother sniffed back some tears, "but you be careful."

"I will." Brendan hugged his mother and picked up his backpack. "Well I'm off."

Waving goodbye to the townspeople he turned and headed out towards Oldale. He'd had walked for a few minutes when he heard someone call his name. Turning around he saw his father heading towards him, moving as fast as he could with crutches.

"Dad, what are you doing? You know you shouldn't run with that leg of yours."

The Professor waved it off, "I have something for you, my boy." Reaching into his coat he produced a small ball and he handed it to Brendan. "I need you to hold on to this for me."

"What is it Dad?"

"I found it when I was in the desert. Somebody is after that rock and I don't think I should leave it in the lab. I hate to do it to you but no one will suspect that I gave it to you."

Brendan nodded and put the ball into his pocket, "Sure Dad."

"And I have one more thing for you." Reaching into his coat again, he produced a large bottle of dark red liquid; passing it to Brendan he winked. "Don't tell your mother."


End file.
